This week’s new heavy metal releases include divisive metal/pop blending artists, a folksy collab, rad death metal in a variety of flavors, and more! To the metals…
The Body and Big|Brave – Leaving None But Small Birds
Genre: Sludge/experimental
Origin: Portland, Oregon/Montreal, Québec
Label: Thrill Jockey
Buy now on Bandcamp
On their latest collaboration The Body are teaming up with Big|Brave for an oddly folksy album. It has all the darkness of both artists, but with just enough twang to it. This also reminds me more of an early Emma Ruth Rundle record, and I'm not mad about it.
Cognizance – Upheaval
Genre: Death metal
Origin: Leeds, England
Label: Prosthetic
If you're seeking technical and tight musicianship paired with low vocals, then you seek Upheaval. The second record from the outfit brings lots of Faceless vibes. The songs are all pretty brief, but they are jam-packed with excitement.
Exxiles – Reminiscence
Genre: Symphonic/progressive metal
Origin: International
Label: Helvete Records
Give it a listen here
Back in 2015 (golly, I've been doing this a long time) I wrote about the debut album from Exxiles, and now the time has come for their equally epic and proggy sequel to that record. Reminiscence features powerful epics, sweeping cinematic pieces, and heavy metal fury. Like the first outing, this one features a bunch of guests like Derek Sherinian (Sons of Apollo), Chris Caffery (Savatage), Donna Burke (from Final Fantasy, Silent Hill and other games), and more.
Insect Ark – Future Fossils
Genre: Experimental
Origin: Brooklyn, New York
Label: Consouling Sounds
Admittedly, this album isn't very metal. Heck, it's essentially not rock at all. Over its four tracks this EP is slowly drifts between relaxing Nine Inch Nails Ghosts-esque pieces and the score to a nightmare. The nightmare portion is what got it here.
A Pale Horse Named Death – Infernum In Terra
Genre: Doom/gothic metal
Origin: New York, New York
Label: Long Branch
Pairing rather nicely with Insect Ark (in terms of mood), we have the latest from A Pale Horse Named Death. Since the last record the band got a new drummer (Chris Hamilton) so now there's only one former Type O Negative drummer in the band. Still, Sal Abruscato and his crew know how to write slow, super melodic doom that's both heavy and catchy. It's like if Alice In Chains if they only listened to Master of Reality.
Poppy –Flux
Genre: Experimental metal/pop
Origin: Boston, Massachusetts
Label: Sumerian
On her fourth album, the divisive Poppy is blending driving guitar rock with soaring pop stylings. It's a rather diverse album with songs that are akin to Sleigh Bells, Rob Zombie, and Garbage. This isn't going to be the album to win over naysayers, but it's a triumph nonetheless.
Rivers Of Nihil – The Work
Genre: Technical/progressive death metal
Origin: Reading, Pennsylvania
Label: Metal Blade
The Work is easily Rivers of Nihil's most varied album yet and it presents a progressive band that has actually progressed since their inception. This album includes cinematic tracks, deathcore flurries, anthemic rock moments, jazzy bits, GNR guitar work (the solo in "Wait" straight up sounds like Slash, and it's wonderful), and yes, even some saxophone. This really is an album experience, so if you dug the singles, just wait until you hear them in the context of the whole thing. Jordan has a deep dive here.
Sleep Token – This Place Will Become Your Tomb
Genre: Alternative metal
Origin: London, Englad
Label: Spinefarm
I am really testing your patience with what is and isn't metal this week, huh? I saw we had a review of this and figured it was worth highlighting. Anyway, this sounds like a mix of Atticus Ross-era Nine Inch Nails mixed with modern pop. Lots of glitchy beeps with electronic elements. Max has a full review here.
Veilburner – Lurkers In The Capsule Of Skull
Genre: Death/black metal
Origin: Pennsylvania
Label: Transcending Obscurity Records
Buy now on Bandcamp
Wrapping this week with some dark, fucked up metal. I feel like I owe it to us. This is dissonant and off-putting shit. Reminds me a bit Anaal Nathrakh, but perhaps with a more obvious love of theatrics. Also, I am seeing conflicting things for when this drops, but as of this writing their Bandcamp says today, so here you go.
Also dropping today…
- Aorlhac – Pierres brûlées (Les Acteurs de l'Ombre Productions) – Black metal
- Ars Moriendi – Le silence déraisonnable du ciel (Archaic Sound) – Atmospheric/progressive black metal
- Badflower – This Is How The World Ends (Big Machine) – Hard rock
- Bestial Putrefaction – Eternal Flesh Ripping Chaos (Sentient Ruin) – Black/death metal
- Bummer – Dead Horse (Thrill Jockey) – Sludge
- Dark Redeemer – Into The Deep Black (Blasphemous Records) – Death metal
- Dawn Of A Dark Age – Le Forche Caudine (Antiq) – Experimental/atmospheric black metal
- Deadyellow – Deadyellow (Self-released) – Post-black metal
- Doro – Triumph And Agony Live DVD/CD (Rare Diamonds) – Heavy metal
- Drott – Orcus (Norse Music) – Progressive
- Grinder Blues – El Dos (Metalville) – Hard rock
- Iskandr – Vergezicht (Eisenwald) – Black metal
- Judas Knife – Death Is The Thing With Feather (Translation Loss Records) – Grunge/space-rock
- Kehlvin – Holistic Dreams (Division Records) – Hardcore/progressive
- Kesem – Post-Terra (Sentient Recordings) – Experimental/progressive rock
- LLNN – Unmaker (Pelagic Records) – Post metal
- Malignament – Hypocrisis Absolution (Primitive Reaction) – Black metal
- Mandoki Soulmates – Utopia For Realists: Hungarian Pictures (InsideOut) – Progressive
- Muldrotha – Slowly To Forget And To Be Forgotten (Blood Blast Distribution) – Death metal
- One Step Closer – This Place You Know (Run For Cover Records) – Hardcore
- Orbit Culture – Shaman (Seek and Strike) – Melodic/groove metal
- Paradox – Heresy II: End Of A Legend (AFM) – Thrash/speed metal
- Pop. 1280 – Museum On The Horizon (Profound Lore) – Industrial/post-punk
- Psycho – Vulture Church (Selfmadegod) – Grind/punk
- Ryghär – Thurmecia Eternal (Rafchild Records) – Heavy metal
- Serotonin – Fracture (Narcoleptica Productions) – Black/death metal
- Signs Of The Swarm – Absolvere (Unique Leader Records) – Deathcore
- Skepticism – Companion (Svart) – Funeral doom
- Succumb – XXI (The Flenser) – Death metal
- Tentation – Le Berceau Des Dieux (Gates Of Hell Records) – Heavy metal
- Thy Row – Unchained (Rockshots Records) – Hard rock
- ToxicRose – In For The Kill (Crusader) – Heavy metal/glam
- Tremonti – Marching in Time (Napalm) – Hard rock
- Unto Others – Strength (Roadrunner) – Heavy metal/gothic rock
- Uriah Heep – Every Day Rocks (BMG) – Heavy metal/progressive rock
- Velvets – Velvets (The Sign) – Rock
- Virial – Transhumanism (Vicious Instinct Records) – Technical death metal
- Vortex Of End – Abhorrent Fervor (Osmore Productions) – Death/black metal
- Waldgeflüster – Dahoam (AOP Records) – Black metal
- We Butter The Bread With Butter – Das Album (AFM) – Deathcore
- Wraith – Undo the Chains (Redefining Darkness Records) – Thrash/speed metal